Thule 591 Bike Rack – First Look
Our bikes are our pride and joy. So unless you have a van to transport it, you don’t want to go cheap and cheerful when it comes to transporting your trusty steed.
When it comes to bike carriers few do it better than Thule. For a casual cyclist you may well be satisfied with something cheap and basic to get your bike from A to B. For most of us though, who probably have bikes worth more than our cars, we want something that will hold our bikes tight and securely so when we dart off down the motorway we are not thinking about unnerving gusts of wind or pothole ridden roads. It’s not an exaggeration then, to say that the Thule 591 is the benchmark for roof mounted cycle carriers.
– The uniquely designed frame holder and the wheel tray automatically position the bike to the correct place allowing it to rest securely against the frame holder while securing it.
– The convenient height of the turning knob makes the final tightening quick and easy.
– The only roof mounted bike carrier on the market with a capacity to carry bikes up to 20 kg.
– Fits bike frames up to 100mm (oval 80x100mm, round 22-80mm)
– Quick-release straps with wheel protection hold the wheels securely in place (adjustable for different wheel sizes).
– Can easily be fitted on either side of the car roof.
– Pre-assembled, no tools are required.
– Lockable – bike to bike carrier, bike carrier to load carrier (locks included).
– T-track adapters (20x20mm) are included for mounting on Thule WingBar Edge, Thule WingBar, Thule SlideBar, and Thule AeroBar.
– Fulfils the City Crash norm.
– RRP – £94.99
It is quite pricey for a single bike carrier but this is really a case of getting what you pay for. Compared to some of the cheaper carriers on the market this really is a fit and forget piece of kit. Solidly built and fitted with really clever features, none more so than the superbly designed ratchet system for holding the bike in place. As you turn the dial to draw in the holding clamp it pulls the bike into its correct position. Then it’s 2 ratchet straps over the wheels and Boom! you’re good to go. Without doubt the easiest and quickest way we have ever been able to mount a bike to a vehicle.
There aren’t many carriers we would happily say is good for downhill bikes but this one is it. Such is its sturdy and solid build it will have no issue handling big burly downhill machines. Possibly a fraction more length on the front of the rack wouldn’t go amiss for particularly long wheelbased bikes but even coming up short it gives no concerns about its ability to hold the bike securely.
It’s so rare that we get to test a piece of kit that has a reasonably high price point without feeling like we’ve paid over the odds. This is one of those rare occasions. So far we wouldn’t use anything else. We’ll be carrying out a direct back to back comparison with a much cheaper carrier just to see how much of a difference paying that bit extra really makes.
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Halfords £79, They price matched from a web site for £56 as they didn’t include the £6 postage. A lot of car dealers are selling them for about £64.
Take this price into consideration if you are doing back to back tests with “cheaper” racks.
Well worth the price but I would still prefer tow bar mounted rack if I had a tow bar.